Handmade Signs

Faythe Levineâ€™s Craft of Communicating

Our urban landscape is packed with signs descended from a rich history
of hand-painters unknown by most passersby. To pay tribute to artists who continue
to hand-paint signs in the digital age, Faythe Levine, co-author of Handmade
Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft, and Design, and Sam Macon produced Sign
Painters. This anecdotal book is the first of its kind and looks at the
craft of sign painting and the modern-day painters who are persisting in their
hand-lettered trade. There was a timeâ€”as recently as the 1980sâ€”when
storefronts, banners, barn signs, billboards, and even street signs were all
hand-lettered. But, like many skilled trades, the sign industry has changed
with technology, resulting in the proliferation of computer-designed signs
across Americaâ€™s landscape.

Sign Painters presents a narrative history of the craft,
featuring stories and photographs of more than two dozen sign painters working
in cities throughout the U.S. Levine, a photographer, businesswoman and
prominent figure in the D.I.Y. ethic indie craft movement, is optimistic about
the future of the field. Levine grew up in Seattle, but currently lives in
Milwaukee. Levine and co-author Sam Macon will discuss Sign Painters at
Sugar Maple (441 E. Lincoln Ave.) on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. The event will
be sponsored by Boswell Book Co.